Hundreds of Northern Ireland Carillion workers have been sent home after the company announced its failure this morning.

A spokesperson for Unite says the move contradicts the stance of UK Minister David Lidington.

Reuters reported this morning that the government would ensure services provided by the failed construction group would continue.

He told BBC radio: "Ever since the profit warnings were announced during the course of last year, various government departments that have had business with Carillion have been drawing up contingency plans about how they might respond."

But according to Unite, Carillion workers from Northern Ireland agencies have been told to return to those agencies.

Permanent staff were sent home and drivers have been asked to remove their personal possessions from vehicles belonging to the Carillion.

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A spokesperson for the Housing Executive said: "The Housing Executive is continuing to monitor the situation closely and will implement contingency arrangements regarding our maintenance and heating services as soon as required.

"We will provide a further update in due course."

The building giant's failure has also led to concerns for smaller sub contractors.

The Federation of Small Businesses fears a number of SMEs could also be dragged down with Carillion.

Cranes stand on a Carillion construction site near Temple on January 15, 2018 in London (Image: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

FSB chairman Mike Cherry said suppliers had to wait four months for their bills to be paid.

"It is vital that Carillion’s small business suppliers are paid what they are owed, or some of those firms could themselves be put in jeopardy, putting even more jobs at risk besides those of Carillion’s own employees," he said.

"These unpaid bills may well go back several months. I wrote to Carillion back in July last year to express concern after hearing from FSB members that the company was making small suppliers wait 120 days to be paid.

"Sadly these kind of poor payment practices are all too common among some big corporates. Perhaps if they weren’t it would be easier to spot the warning signs of a huge company in financial trouble.

"When the dust settles on this sorry saga, there is also a wider lesson to learn about the concentration of public contracts in the hands of a small number of very big businesses.

"Public procurement must be much more small-business friendly, in which it is easier for small firms to navigate the system and the Government should prioritise meeting its target of at least one third of taxpayer-funded contracts going to smaller firms."